When is a car not worth fixing and should be sold

[tivoliman]

Question of the day.

Is there a survey available that would lead me though questions, and help me assess when to replace my car?

My father simply bought a new car every other year. (Course that was when cars lasted 3 years.)

I have a 190E 2.6 with 201,000 miles, no air conditioning, a radio with one functional speaker that fails when it rains, the seats are comfortable with no holes, the engine runs smooth but I never jack rabbit (thought I wish I could - the car just won't), the windows work and there are no leaks. The car does require oil every 800 miles. If sold, I may expect $1,500. No rust. Few paint mars. Paid for - no car payments. Annual maintenance about $1,000.

Should I replace the car?

This would seem to be a common type question.

A survey form that helps determine what is important to you would help assess when the car should be replaced may be used by many.

Click-n-Clack has a car assessment form; they suggest using when considering a used car. However, it helps with the hardware aspects of the car.

So - how do you decide when the car should be replaced?

The car has not "embarrassed" me. People may have questioned why I drive a car with no air conditioning.

The follow on question is "How much money should one spend to keep the car running?"

[dtf]

1. Probably more than one post dealing with this very difficult topic. Do a search.

2. Do you still enjoy driving the car?

3. You're spending almost $100/ month now. How many miles do you drive per year? Your expenses should be consistently below ten cents per mile max for car maintenance and repairs in my opinion. Anything more than that and you can get a small car on lease for almost the same monthly cost.

[mzsmbs]

Originally Posted by tivoliman

My father simply bought a new car every other year. (Course that was when cars lasted 3 years.)

did he drive yugos?

if you like the car keep it.. if it's a drain on your pocket and you end up working on it more then you drive it then get a new one...

[Brian Carlton]

If your maintenance is running only $1K per year, it has proven to be quite a reliable vehicle. If you don't abuse it, it probably can go another five years or so. But, be prepared for additional maintenance, as it ages.

The real question is whether you like driving it or not. If the answer is in the affirmative, then keep it.

If the answer is in the negative, then finances come into play. How much money do you want to spend to replace it? If you wish to spend a small amount of money, you may inherit a vehicle that has just as many problems as the one you currently have. Old M/B's can be risky business unless you know exactly what you are buying.

[BamaMB]

There is never a "one size fits all" answer to this question. Dose the car do what you want it to do? Are you worried it will leave you stranded on the road one day? Do you have to finance a new car? Think of what you will pay in interrest, increased insurance for less repair work. Hope you don't have collision isurance on that car, not worth it.

[neanderthal]

my theory is this;

if it costs you more to repair it per year, than it would to make payments a new small car for a year (usually the benchmark, so honda civic or toyota corolla) then by all means buy a new car. i differentiate between repair and maintenance, as pretty much all cars need maintenance; tuneups, brake jobs, oil changes, tire rotations and so on. those are expense you would have with a new car anyway.

so pretty much if your repair bills are over $2400 a year, then get a new car. one could buy a new (small) car with a budget of $2400 a year.

i believe in driving them into the ground. a car is a bad investement, so get your moneys worth out of it.

[Southern]

My theory is:

If the repairs exceed the cost of the car then it is time to get rid of it. If the air stops working (in the summer time) I tend to start looking for a replacement. I tend to get 15+ years at around 200K miles before I condem it.

I also look at a 2 to 3 year old vehicle as a replacement.